Synth Pop is what occurs when you take synthesizers and make pop music with them.

An important stylistic mark of Synth Pop is that the synthesizers deliberately sound like synthesizers, or in PurpleProse they ''exploit artificiality''. Synth Pop does not use synthesizers to replicate acoustic sounds but rather as instruments in their own right.

Synth Pop can use acoustic instruments, however the majority of the work must be ElectronicMusic in order for a pop song to be classified as Synth Pop.

This genre was very influential during TheEighties (although it's OlderThanTheyThink; the very first synth album[[note]]as far as anyone knows[[/note]], ''The In Sound From Way Out!'' by Jean-Jacques Perrey and Gershon Kingsley, was an example of Synth Pop '''in 1966''', nearly 20 years before the genre became popular[[note]]in part because the 1966 Moog catalogue didn't include any keyboard module, so the two Perrey/Kingsley albums had to be painstakingly recorded one note at a time[[/note]]). The Tornados' 1962 hit "Telstar" is also pointed to as an UrExample[[note]]although their instrument was a clavioline, not a synthesiser as such[[/note]]. Whilst many eighties pop bands were not ''predominantly'' electronic, they were usually ''significantly'' electronic and made generous use of of their synthesizers and drum machines.

The distinction between this genre (at least during TheEighties) and [[NewWaveMusic New Wave]] is not easy to establish. One potential distinction is that Synth Pop must be ''predominantly'' electronic, and ''significantly'' electronic pop music can be classified as [[NewWaveMusic New Wave]]. However, some people do tend to use "New Wave" and "Synth Pop" more or less interchangeably, and use either term to refer to any eighties pop song with a significant electronic component.

There's also been a resurgence of synth pop in the indie arena, taking its cues from early 80's new wave (You know, keyboards and depression, together in perfect harmony. Leads to artists with names like ''Casiotone for the Painfully Alone.'')

The DarkerAndEdgier, more aggressive and [[PunkRock punk]]-like approach to this style of music results in Electronic Body Music or EBM, which is a subgenre of {{Industrial}}.

The darker, angstier, {{Wangst}}-ier and {{Goth}}-oriented version of this style of music is called DarkWave.

The genre's arguable SpiritualSuccessor and direct SpinOff is AlternativeDance, which originated when bands like Music/NewOrder, Music/DepecheMode and Music/PetShopBoys took SynthPop and combined it with the songwriting approach (and sometimes musical elements) of AlternativeRock.

Significant artists include:

[[index]]* Music/AHa* Music/{{Alphaville}}* Music/{{Bastille}} (A modern group)* Music/{{Berlin}}* Music/{{Camouflage}}* Music/WendyCarlos** ''Music/SwitchedOnBach'' (1968) (An UrExample, sort of)* Music/{{CHVRCHES}} * Music/{{Covenant}} (on their later albums, they're this combined with [[{{Industrial}} Future-Pop]]; earlier works are straight EBM / Future-Pop)* Music/DepecheMode (GenrePopularizer with The Human League and Pet Shop Boys)* Music/{{Devo}} (When they weren't just straight NewWaveMusic)* Music/ThomasDolby* Music/DuranDuran (With more Rock influence than most, though)** ''[[Music/TheWeddingAlbum Duran Duran]]'' (1993) – also known as ''The Wedding Album'' to distinguish it from the group's 1981 self-titled album* Music/{{Erasure}}* Music/{{Eurythmics}}* ''Fad Gadget'' (A TropeMaker)* Music/{{Fischerspooner}}* Music/{{Foxes}} {Though more through her collaborations than her solo efforts.)* Music/FrankieGoesToHollywood* Music/{{Freezepop}}* Music/JohnFrusciante (Former Music/RedHotChiliPeppers guitarist)* Music/EllieGoulding** ''Music/{{Halcyon}}'' (2012)* Music/{{Grimes}} (Another recent example)* Music/Heaven17* ''The Human League'' (One of the {{Trope Codifier}}s, and perhaps the TropeMakers of the British scene)* Music/DickHyman** ''Moog: The Electric Eclectics of Dick Hyman'' (1969)* Music/{{Icehouse}}* Music/IconaPop* Music/ImagesInVogue (Most well-known for being where cEvin Key, of Music/SkinnyPuppy fame, got his start)* Music/InformationSociety* Music/{{Japan}}* Music/JeanMichelJarre** ''Music/{{Oxygene}}'' (1976)* Music/HowardJones* Music/HypeWilliams* Music/JoyElectric* Music/{{Kajagoogoo}}* Music/TheKnife (at least until the release of 'Shaking the Habitual')* Music/{{Kraftwerk}}[[/index]] (the TropeMaker, or perhaps the main UrExample)[[index]]** ''Music/{{Autobahn}}'' (1974)** ''Music/TransEuropeExpress'' (1977)** ''Music/TheManMachine'' (1978)** ''Music/ComputerWorld'' (1981)* Music/{{Ladytron}}* Music/MenWithoutHats* Music/{{Ministry}} (yes, THAT Ministry. Their first record was completely synthpop. Their second changed to a dark [[{{Industrial}} EBM]] while their third completely changed to IndustrialMetal, in which case everything got heavier and heavier)* Music/NakedEyes* Music/NewOrder (a rather dark example, formed from the ashes of Joy Division)** ''Music/PowerCorruptionAndLies'' (1983)* Music/KlausNomi** ''[[Music/KlausNomiAlbum Klaus Nomi]]'' (1981)** ''Music/SimpleMan'' (1982)* ''The Normal'' (Only released one single, "Warm Leatherette," which is an early example and [[TropeMakers influential]] of the genre)* Music/GaryNuman (though he shifted later on to {{industrial metal}} and DarkWave)* Music/OwlCity* Music/OrchestralManoeuvresInTheDark* Music/JeanJacquesPerrey (Another UrExample)** ''Music/TheInSoundFromWayOut'' (1966, with Gershon Kingsley)** ''Kaleidoscopic Vibrations'' (1967, with Gershon Kingsley)** ''The Amazing New Electronic Pop Sound of Jean Jacques Perrey'' (1968)** ''Moog Indigo'' (1970)* Music/PetShopBoys* Music/{{Propaganda}}* Music/{{PVRIS}} (a newer band)* Music/RedFlag* Music/SiliconTeens (Notable for being an early virtual band and the first project worked on by Mute Records label founder Daniel Miller, whose label is the home of Music/DepecheMode, Music/{{Erasure}} and Music/{{Yazoo}}, and thus important in the genre's history)* Music/SoftCell* Music/{{Soulwax}}* Music/{{Sparks}} (From the late 70s to the early 2000s)** ''Music/No1InHeaven'' (1979)* Music/StarBomb* Music/TearsForFears (On their earliest work, a least)* Music/{{Telex}}* Music/ThompsonTwins* Music/TransX* Music/VNVNation (Much like Covenant above, they started as a Future-Pop / EBM band before transitioning into this)* ''Wolfsheim'' (Also DarkWave)* Music/{{Yazoo}}* ''Yello'' (Best known for the oddball hit "[[Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff Oh]] [[EarWorm Yeah]]")* Music/YellowMagicOrchestra [[/index]](TropeCodifier and [[TropeMakers Trope Maker]]) [[index]]* Music/FrankZappa: During the 1980s he started using the Synclavier computer for composing and released a few albums with such music. Zappa liked the Synclavier, because it allowed him to give exact performances of his work humans couldn't possibly master.** ''Music/ThePerfectStranger'' (1984) (four of the seven tracks are performed on Synclavier, the rest is orchestral music played by human beings)** ''Music/FrancescoZappa'' (1984)** ''Music/FrankZappaMeetsTheMothersOfPrevention'' (1985)** ''Music/DoesHumorBelongInMusic'' (1985)** ''Music/JazzFromHell'' (1986)[[/index]]

And arguably a good portion of TheEighties pop acts in general (who are either this or [[NewWaveMusic New Wave]]).----